Real Madrid in sight of La Liga title after eighth win in a row
CGTN

Real Madrid moved one step closer to their first La Liga title in three years after beating Alaves 2-0 for their eighth consecutive win on Friday.

Madrid now have a four-point advantage over Barca at the top of the table. If Barca fail to win away at Real Valladolid on Saturday, Madrid will clinch the title with two games to spare by beating Granada on Monday at Los Carmenes.

Karim Benzema broke the deadlock with a penalty early on in the game and turned provider for Marco Asensio to tap into an empty net in the second half.

Yet even if Madrid have to wait, it seems inevitable they will hoist the trophy given they also boast a superior head-to-head record against Barcelona with three games left.

Madrid can afford to draw two of those, even if Barcelona manage three victories out of three.

"We still don't know what is going to happen," said Real coach Zinedine Zidane. "La Liga is very hard and we have three finals still to go."

Alaves, after sacking their coach Asier Garitano last week following five consecutive defeats, never looked likely to cause an upset.

This loss in Juan Ramon Lopez Muniz's first game in charge leaves them hovering above the relegation zone, only three points ahead of Real Mallorca, who have hope after their win over Levante on Thursday.

(With input from agencies)

(Cover image: Karim Benzema of Real Madrid during their La Liga match against Alaves at Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano in Madrid, Spain, July 10, 2020. /VCG)